Behavioral changes following a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury are common. While the difference may depend on the type of injury, many people struggle with changes to their personality and behavior.
If you recently sustained a TBI and have become more quick to anger or irritability, it may be due to the injury itself.
Behavioral changes
The injury can affect your ability to control your emotions. You may find it more challenging to limit yourself and instead, find yourself having extreme emotional reactions to various situations. Even if you did not struggle with anger before, you might find that your fuse becomes shorter.
TBI can affect your impulse control. Impulse control helps you filter your thoughts and actions. Without the filter, you may act without thinking about the consequences.
Stress-induced anger
In addition to behavioral changes caused by the injury, you might have less patience and are more prone to irritability because of the stress caused by the incident. TBIs can affect every aspect of your professional and personal life. Some factors that contribute to stress following a TBI include:
- Inability to return to work
- Medical costs
- Loss of independence
- Pain from the injury
Stress and anxiety over the future can make it difficult to control your emotions. Often, anger issues can develop when you have excess stressors in your life.
It is entirely normal to struggle with anger following a TBI, but fortunately, mental health professionals may be able to help you work on anger management and control.
